Stars, stripes, slides and geese

I often wonder if, when our kids are grown, they'll remember the little details of otherwise-unremarkable Saturdays.

Will Amelia remember her first solo trips down the slide?

Will Jake remember hanging off of play equipment, whether it was meant for hanging or not?

Will Nick remember his amazing upper-body strength that allowed him to do pull-ups and chin-ups without breaking a sweat?

Most of our weekends are filled with little moments that I try to capture occasionally, for fear that if I don't, we'll all forget them in a year's time. The grins ...

The silly poses ...

The time when a complete stranger walked up and posed directly under Nick's crotch, refusing to move until I took a picture.

After all, Amelia was only this exact age for one day. The next day, she was a whole day older.

The next day, Nathaniel didn't have the chance to try to pointlessly teach her how to play Tic-Tac-Toe.

The next day Jake didn't get to discover a flock of geese.

When he's 40, will he remember that he once got this close to a goose? Close enough for it to hiss at him?

(After all, it had to protect its babies.)

(BABIES!!)

I know something I'll never forget ... it's the picture I have in my mind's eye of my family walking toward me across the field. The individual beats of my heart, right there.

The geese caught a glimpse of an approaching black Lab, and they honked and took flight.

RIGHT OVER MY FAMILY'S HEADS.

Nathaniel ducked, and Jake broke into a run as the geese flew low and fast overhead to the safety of the nearby pond.

I hope their brains are retaining some of these moments somewhere deep within. Some of them are just too precious to lose.